Mystical Mermaids at Oxford Impressions

Hello Everyone
I have just learnt of a brand new stamp release from Oxford Impressions.
Suzanne had designed the most fabulous stamp set, Mystical Mermaids available from Oxford Impressions site, Austen Gallery.  In fact I have only just learnt about the release.
As you can see, this set is so much more than mermaids, with beautiful boats and take a look at the whale, oh my word, it is firing up the imagination already!  This set would work as a stand alone but I could also imagine it mixing and matching with The Deep and also By The Sea sets also from Oxford Impressions.I hope you don’t mind me sharing this information with you.
Kindest Wishes
Lynne

Somerset Place

Hello Everyone
I received notification that Part II of “We Asked The Artists” has now been posted over at Stampington & co’s Blog, Somerset Place.
The question that was posed was regarding the creative space. Thankfully there was no request for photographs! If that had been the case I would still be hanging my head in shame at the state of my wee crafty space, it is teeny tiny and impossible to control. A space so small was never meant for storing all the supplies I need to hand, including DT/GD stamps for Oxford Impressions, Darkroom Door, Crafty Individuals, Redlead Paperworks, PaperArtsy and also all the goodies I receive from That’s Crafty  (other stamps have unfortunately had to go into storage in the loft as I literally have no space in this area).  The only space left is for the stool I perch upon! It is little wonder my actual working area is reduced to the size of a postage stamp! Well, not quite but not far from that, possibly 6″x6″!!! No, I am most certainly not taking requests for photographs of this space lol.
Anyway, if you would like to read my response to the question posed then you can read mine along with those from the amazing artists whose company I am in, HERE. I have no business having my name alongside such artists, true artists who teach, have published books, their own stamp/product line, really I have no idea how or why I was ever invited to be amongst such a collection of artists, continue to pinch myself!
BTW, the card displayed alongside my answer is a Darkroom Door creation, one which is published in the latest issue of The Stampers’ Sampler and which I will be sharing along with the others from the same card collection, very soon.
Have a lovely week and many thanks for your visit and past visits. I do have some scheduled blog posts scattered here and there throughout the week.
Wishes
Lynne

She Dreams Of The Ocean

Hello
Time for my scheduled post for That’s Crafty.
For my DT post this week I had fun creating an assemblage piece.  This is the smallest of sneaky peeks at what I created.
The full project can be viewed HERE.
Enjoy your day and many, many thanks for your visit to this post.
Wishes
Lynne

Embrace Me (Somerset Studio Gallery)

Hello Everyone
A very quick scheduled post to share today featuring one card.
This card is published in the Summer issue of Somerset Studio Gallery (I am sure it was submitted to Take Ten). It was made as a Valentine’s Day card but it could also be an anniversary card. The stamps and image are from Darkroom Door, the image is from Love Letters Montage sheet.
This card actually came about when I received the Floral Texture Stamp.  With a pink chalk ink I stamped the Texture Stamp onto the top and bottom edges of a white scallop edged cardbase to create a decorative border, the Texture Stamps are fabulous. Layering one of the Love Letters images onto shabbily painted corrugated cardboard along with scraps of floral fabric and raspberry velvet ribbon, topped with the stamped word, embrace which is one of the many, many words/sentiments to be found on the Love Word Block stamp – incredibly useful stamps.So there we have it, a quick card and a quick post. Another time I will share with you art journal style panels which were also published in this issue of Somerset Studio Gallery.
Many thanks for your visit.
Wishes
Lynne

New Releases – Darkroom Door

Hello Everyone
A post to share news of the latest additions to Darkroom Door and what a choice there is, truly something for everyone.
Starting with Backgrounds, six new releases covering everything from Brushed Stars, Clocks, Fishing Net and so much more!Then we have the latest stamp sets.
The Dream Catcher set is very unusual and what about the coffee stamps for all those coffee lovers amongst you.Six new Frame stamps.  I really like the look of the tags and also the mason jar stamp is a little bit quirky.The final six are all from the Eclectic Stamp range.
You can also view all the fabulous new releases at Darkroom Door where they can also be purchased from.
Thanks for your visit.
Wishes
Lynne

Bloomin’ Beautiful Nature

Hello Everyone
For my DT post over at the That’s Crafty Blog, it is the first time I have played with JOFY designs for PaperArtsy.The project can be viewed HERE.
Enjoy your Sunday.
Wishes
Lynne

Housey, Housey

Hello
Just to share with you news of the latest theme at the That’s Crafty Challenge, Housey Housey.
The challenge is really open to interpretation this time. Housey, Housey can be house related (human or animal!) or even Bingo related. This Challenge will run until 7.55am on Friday 3rd July 2015.
The winner will win a £20 voucher to spend at the That’s Crafty on-line store.
If you need inspiration click the link at the top of this post where you can view creations from the Challenge DT and read details for entering this challenge.
Wishes
Lynne

Shine Bright (Take Ten)

Hello Everyone
I would like to share a trio of cards with one of my absolute favourite Redlead Paperworks stamps, Shine Bright. This little girl is wonderful, such a fun stamp to play with. I teamed her up with another fabulous stamp set from Redlead, a set called Labels – She Knows All Things Are Possible which is a set I have played with on many occasions as the stamps have sentiments which are just that little bit different.
Thank You to Stampington & co’s Take Ten for publishing this trio in the Spotlights section of the Summer issue.
Paint was swiped onto each watercolour paper panel. In reality the paint was more vivid than the creamy colour which has appeared in the photograph (above).
Cutting the words into word tiles and scribbling boxes around each tile gave a more mixed media appearance than if I had simply stamped the label stamp in its original format and by altering the layout of the words it created a more balanced composition. I deliberately left the white of the watercolour paper peeking through, aiming for a loose feel and the white brings more interest than if the paint had been carefully applied. Also, with Take Ten submissions I am conscious of the time element. Submitting to Take Ten has been a wonderful exercise for me as it has made me strip back my style to fit within the criteria of this publication.  The biggest hurdle for me, I know most of you will relate to this, is that we make our own backgrounds which can at times be the most time consuming element of a card.  For submissions to Take Ten, as someone who doesn’t tend to use pattern paper, it was a matter of what do I do about the background.   I was beginning to be all splattered out! LOL – a plain cardbase which needed something injected so I would flick paint onto it but I couldn’t keep submitting cards with those backgrounds time after time!  A quick swipe of paint I realised, needed no drying time and with the hint of white shining through it adds some character and not a paint splatter in sight!The girl was stamped onto the painted background and again onto contrasting polka dot paper, layering up the dress and her boots to the main image. So there we have it, quick makes which hopefully still pack a punch with the colours and uplifting sentiments.
Stealing the words from this little girl …. I send you hope and heart.
Wishes
Lynne

Precious

Hello Everyone
This is a peek at my project for That’s Crafty, me in my comfort zone of vintage with a photo real stamp taking centre stage on the project.The full project can be viewed HERE.
Enjoy your day.
Wishes
Lynne

Cupcakes & Daisies (The Stampers’ Sampler)

Hello Everyone
I have another scheduled post, this time a trio of cards all featuring the same stamp as the focal, a cupcake.
They trio appear in the latest issue of The Stampers’ Sampler, as part of their Celebration Challenge results but I had actually submitted them to Take Ten.  They obviously thought they suited the theme of their challenge.
All of the stamps are from Oxford Impressions Fairy Sweets (also available from That’s Crafty)
I used ice cream colours, or you could also call it cupcake colours, pastels of blue, pink and yellow.  I should have tweaked the colour of this photograph as the cardbase looks as though it has a pink/lilac tone but it was actually white watercolour paper.
Vintage French book text was painted and used as the stamping surface for the cupcakes, daisies, bird and word tiles.For each cupcake I gave the topping (the frosting) a different colour to the paper case.The same idea for the final card with daisies embellishing the cupcake and a butterfly.Many of you will know, it is hardly a secret, that I adore Oxford Impressions stamps, have done since before I even got my hands on my first set. It was when I read an article in Simple Stamping, a feature on photo real stamps, I fell in love with the stamps there and then. Since I got my first set, Soul of the Rose, the stamps have become treasures to me, always dipping into them but I will admit that Fairy Sweets was a set which I initially struggled with. I was trying to fit it into my usual style and colours and the stamps were just not working for me. Since I have allowed myself more freedom with colours I have so enjoyed inking up the stamps from this set and this is my second card collection (the other collection can be viewed HERE) which I submitted and have been lucky enough to get published. In fact, I am sharing in another post a mini canvas which features, once again, this cupcake stamp, the canvas also appears in the same issue of The Stampers’ Sampler.
Thank you for your visit to this recent blog post.  I always catch up with your comments and cannot begin to tell you how much your support has meant to me during my absence from blogland.
Wishes
Lynne